Middle East News - AFP

BAGHDAD (AFP) - Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki accused rivals on Thursday of stoking political rows which have put Iraq's security at risk, as US Defence Secretary Robert Gates made a surprise visit to Baghdad. Full Story »

BAGHDAD (AFP) - US Defence Secretary Robert Gates assured Iraq of continued support during a surprise visit to Baghdad on Thursday, as the Pentagon insisted its troop pullout was on track despite a surge in violence. Full Story »

UNITED NATIONS (AFP) - Western powers upped the pressure on Iran Thursday, threatening to push for new UN sanctions early next year if Tehran continues to defy demands to halt its sensitive nuclear fuel work. Full Story »

CAIRO (AFP) - Residents of the Egyptian side of the border town of Rafah, a smuggling haven within tunneling distance of the Gaza strip, say engineers have begun a using heavy earth-moving equipment for a set of mysterious excavation works. Full Story »

TEHRAN (AFP) - Iranian media published a list on Thursday of 11 Iranians, including a truck driver, a former diplomat and a nuclear scientist, who it claims are being held in the United States or other countries. Full Story »

CAIRO (AFP) - Egypt said on Thursday that it will not abolish the death penalty because it is a deterrent, even though human rights groups say that fair trials are not guaranteed. Full Story »

MOSCOW (AFP) - Palestinian foreign minister Riyad al-Malki on Thursday rejected holding Middle East peace talks in Moscow in the absence of preliminary negotiations with Israel. Full Story »

BAGHDAD (AFP) - Baghdad is to move disarmed Iranian rebels from a camp close to the border to southern Iraq before deporting them, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said in remarks released on Thursday. Full Story »

BAGHDAD (AFP) - Major foreign oil firms will converge on Baghdad on Friday for an auction of 10 oilfields as Iraq bids to ramp up output dramatically and become one of the world's biggest crude producers. Full Story »

DAMASCUS (AFP) - Syria warned Israel on Thursday it risked closing the door to renewed peace talks, a day after the Israeli parliament agreed to consider a bill that would make it far more difficult to return the occupied Golan. Full Story »